The Parting of The Ways
by Lovingh3art
Summary: Iris finds herself forced to say goodbye to another person in her life. Set between seasons 3 and 4.


**Disclaimer - I do not own Iris West or Julian Albert. They are characters from** _ **The Flash**_ **television series, owned by The CW and Warner Bros and based on characters from comics published by DC Comics.**

The Parting of the Ways

 _A Flash Fanfic_

The sound of the elevator opening reverberated once more in Iris West's ears. She glimpsed the already-familiar entrance hall to S.T.A.R. Labs. White as the walls were, they only seemed to make her more determined to figure out what was going on here.

She pushed the relapsing memory of Barry away to storm down the hall. As she passed screens and see-through windows, the reporter tried to figure out what was happening. Cisco had texted her to say someone had gotten into the building, but the cameras and computers were currently being repaired; that meant whoever It was could do what they wanted and get away with it. After everything the team at this place – and Barry – had given for this city, she wouldn't stand for that.

Iris finally wound up in the heart of it all – the Cortex. She was surrounded by a 360-degree room filled to the brim with technological display monitors and screens. Standing in front of her was the three-pronged computer station frequented by the members of Team Flash. Cisco' s trademark item - a Big Belly Burger bag - lay scattered on the left monitor. She smiled at this, only to feel a pang of sadness when her eyes moved to another object; the pair of drumsticks left by H.R. He really had been a helpful member of the team, even if he was annoying time to time. His sacrifice would be appreciated greatly.

Recomposing herself, she slowly walked up to the empty Central chamber, the display mannequin still in place. How long had it been without the suit - without Barry? Not having that there just made the Cortex feel all the more hollow. Sure, Iris could've put up a spare costume, but it just wouldn't be the same.

A rustling sound caused her to snap back to reality. Deducing it was coming from the medical lab, she went and opened the door. To her surprise, she saw someone she hadn't expected to be inside of it, and quite frankly, at all.

"Julian?" She said, surprised.

Standing in front of the white stretcher bed was a lank, scruffy man. He wore a black jacket and had tannish skin, and tangled hair the color of goldenrod. Like always, he looked up with his trademark glare; this time, however, he had no suspicion in his face, but rather sadness. She could also tell he hadn't gotten enough sleep, slight bags hanging underneath his eyes.

"Iris?" He said, obviously surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied.

"Well…" he looked down at the bed, trying to keep his face blocked from view. "I'm just packing up."

"What?" Iris looked to where he had his stuff, and was shocked to see a small wooden box lying on the stretcher bed. She'd been so surprised by his appearance, she hadn't considered what he was doing in the first place. Now she knew. _He's...leaving?_

"Julian," she asked with a now serious tone, "what's in the box?"

He sighed before looking at her. "I just sent my paperwork to the CCPD, requesting a transfer to Midway City. I'm moving out there in a day."

Iris was at a loss for words. It was happening all over again.

"Look," Julian said, "working here has been great. I got friends, a purpose… someone who cared about me…" he paused for a little after saying this. "But the truth is, I just don't feel right anymore. I was a puppet, used by Savitar to twist people into their worst halves. And Caitlyn… she's gone. I don't know if we'll ever have what we had before."

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Iris; she was trying hard to keep potential tears back. "Julian, we all make mistakes, but we learn from them. You became an invaluable member of the team. And yeah, Caitlyn had her Killer Frost problems, but she'll probably be back here sooner or later."

"You don't get it, Iris," he replied, a hinge of frustration in his voice. "I need a fresh start, something that fits to my attributes. A new city with a rewarding forensics job and no past reminders. It's too painful to just think of her… what we had…" he put a hand on the box of his possessions, and Iris swore he gripped it enough to make it crack a tad.

 _No,_ she thought. _I'm not letting it happen again._ Taking a deep breath, Iris faced Julian with a hard face. "You're only running from your problems, Julian. Stay here, help us keep the city safe. You ran from them once, and yet they came back to bite you again."

"That was back when I was afraid of them," he replied. "I'm free of them now, but the pain and regret here, it's too much." He took a pile of papers and filed them into the box, keeping attention to doing it a neat fashion. She noticed he'd placed his CCPD badge inside, and next to it was a photo of the whole S,T.A.R. Labs crew. Everybody's smiles were visible, even if their frames were tiny due to the photograph's size. "Besides, with Wally and Cisco on the job, why would I be needed?"

He finished loading the items into his box. Taking a glance around the medical room, Julian slowly walked out. Iris followed him and quickly grasped his arm. "Julian…" he saw her face was beginning to loose tears. "I can't lose someone else, right after…"

To her surprise, Julian suddenly gripped her into a hug. Hidden in his arms and chest, Iris finally let the tears go. The tears of losing H.R, of Barry, and now him. "It's okay," he said soothingly. She looked up, tear faced, and found a companion she'd never have known.

"In our line of work, people have to go, Iris. Sometimes it's tragic, sometimes it's for a sacrifice. And sometimes it's to do something new for a change." He gave her a faint smile as he said this. "What happened to Barry and H.R. is sad, but their lives will always have meaning to us. And I'll be fine. Midway City can't be that bad, right?"

She chuckled slightly, the tears drying on her dark face. Julian had a point. She couldn't go back into the past; she had to face the present.

Even if it was without Barry.

She wiped a tear off her cheek. "Well, I guess this is goodbye. Good luck in Midway."

"And you here," replied Julian." He grasped the box's contents and walked into the Cortex. He moved slower here, taking some seconds to give one fateful last glance at the space his life had been housed in for so long. Finally gazing at the empty spot where Barry's suit used to be, he took a deep breath and marched out the corridor.

Iris stood there for some time, eyeing the ground as if it were some danger to her. When she heard the elevator close from far away, she sunk into the nearest chair. An icy feeling of doubt washed over her, but what Julian had said was true. He needed to move on, but so did she. Barry would always be part of her - and maybe he'd come back one day - but for now, she could be herself. It was time for Iris West to welcome the next day with open arms.

She picked up her phone and texted her dad and Wally, asking to meet at Big Belly Burger. As she walked to get into the elevator, she felt something inside of her. A spark of courage, a hope for the next day.

Just like lightning.

 **Hey guys! Hope you liked that! As you can guess, I'm a** _ **Flash**_ **fan, and when I heard Julian wouldn't be coming back for the next season, I decided to do this as an explanation for his absence. Granted, you may not like it, but it's my take and I thought it would be some closure for fans of his character. Please, comment and review!**


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